First graduates of Saudi scholarship program recognized in Washington

June 9, 2008

The Saudi Cultural Attaché’s office in Washington this weekend recognized the first graduates of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz scholarship program.

The first batch of graduates included seven doctorates, 142 master’s and 49 bachelor’s degrees.

In remarks televised at the event, Minister of Higher Education Khalid Al-Angari congratulated the graduates. He said that the scholarship program embodies the Saudi government’s focus on education, and noted that a country’s citizens are its true wealth.

In an address delivered on his behalf by Khaled Alanagri, DCM, Saudi Ambassador to the US Adel A. Al-Jubeir characterized the scholarship program as a milestone in the field of education and development.

The student address was delivered by Dr. Iman Mohammed Ali, who received a PhD in neurology from Harvard.

At the event, the Cultural Mission presented awards to staff who have worked on behalf of the students since the beginning of the scholarship program, including former Cultural Attaché Dr. Mazyed Almazyed. In addition, students from the Islamic Saudi Academy in Fairfax, Virginia performed traditional dances from the Arabian Gulf.

In September 2006, King Abdullah established a government scholarship program that provides 15,000 scholarships at all levels in the United States. They are for scientific specializations required by the labor market, especially medicine, engineering, computer science, mathematics and physics.